Happiness is a Journey
by Wannabanauthor
Summary: Takes place in the beginning of 4x01 after Regina storms off. With Marian back, Regina feels her opportunity for a happy ending has passed. As she grieves the loss of her love, Henry helps take her mind off it by convincing her to help Emma restore the happy endings. His first suggestion: Maleficent. Slow Burn Swan Queen, Swan Mills family, and mentions of OQ and CS.


A/N: I've been wanting to write a SwanQueen fic for some time, and I figured now would be the best time. I came up with the concept a few weeks ago, and I am eager to see how it plays out. This will be a slow burn Swan Queen story with a heavy emphasis of Swan Mills family.

I also have written some head canons and small fics for SwanQueen on my Tumblr (same username), so be sure to check those out. Now onto the story!

* * *

"Regina!" Emma calls out before Hook grabs her. She shoves him aside and sprints across the street to catch up with the fuming queen.

"Please don't walk away from us, Regina. I know this is hard for you, but-" she begins but is cut off by a deep chuckle.

Regina's face, however, is not smiling. Barely contained disgust and malice graces her lips in a sneer.

"Don't walk away?" Regina asks and takes a step towards Emma who instantly backs up. "You bring my love's wife back from the dead, and you want me to stay and talk it over? You really are your mother's daughter."

Emma's head snaps back as if Regina hit her. That was twice in one night that Regina compared her faults to her mother's, and she couldn't help but agree with her. No matter how much she disliked it. She wanted to comfort the woman in front of her, but it looked like Regina was not having it.

"My life has been nothing but trouble since you arrived. You are my problem. Everything you do hurts me! Because of your insipid family, I've lost the love of my life and my son twice. Because of you, I now have to share my son with his idiotic biological family. You say you mean well, but I always end up dealing with the consequences of your actions. Get out of my way before I decide that it's easier being the Evil Queen," Regina growls. The ferocity is taken away by the tears rolling down her cheeks.

She looks over her shoulder to see Henry looking at them in concern.

_He can't see me like this_, Regina thinks to herself.

"I'll give you all the time you need then, but I won't give up on you. You and I are tied together forever," Emma says. It brings Regina out of her self-loathing for a moment, and the blonde receives a curt nod from the former Evil Queen.

Emma wants to touch her shoulder, but she decides against it. Instead she steps aside and lets Regina pass. Seconds later, she hears a whoosh and knows that Regina magicked herself away.

She walks back to the group in front of Granny's diner, and Mary Margaret approaches her.

"What happened? What did she say?"

Emma sighs. "She needs time to process things, so _we_ are going to give it to her. Henry is the only person allowed to see her until she gives the all clear. Right, Mom?"

Mary Margaret opens her mouth to protest, but then closes it. David steps forward and puts a comforting arm around his wife.

"I'll make sure she doesn't," he adds.

Emma looks to the others. "I'll leave you all to get reacquainted. Henry, come with me. We should head home." He follows her without question, but the pirate decides to get in front of them.

"Hold on love, don't you think we should talk?" he says. Emma looks at him but can't quite bring herself to care at the moment. With everything they've been through, she needs space right now. With Regina's happiness gone, she feels guilty seeking out her own.

"Tomorrow, Killian," she says softly and pats him on the arm. She escorts Henry away from the diner, and they start walking home.

For the first few minutes, they walk in silence. Henry is the first to speak up.

"Is Mom going to be okay? I don't want her to revert back after all the progress she's made."

The concern in his voice makes Emma smile. She's glad that Henry and Regina managed to patch up their relationship. After parenting Henry on her own for a year, she came to understand why Regina was the way she was. Henry was a bright but mischievous little boy. It took wits and sneakiness just to outdo him. He probably inherited that from her.

But seeing the way he was so happy when he got his memories gave her hope for the future. Maybe she and Regina could successfully co-parent after all. Doing it on her own had been hard, and she found herself sympathizing with Regina more than she realized.

"Give your mom some credit, kid," Emma says and gives him a light bump with her shoulder. "She lost you for an entire year and still managed to stay good."

He nods. "That's true, but I worry about her. With me being gone plus Robin now being married has to be hard on her. Promise me you won't let her go back to the darkness?"

Emma pulls Henry to her and gives him a kiss on the forehead. "I promise, kid. It's my job to bring back the happy endings, and that includes Regina. She deserves it as much as everyone else."

Henry smiles up at her. "Thanks, Ma. I think she needs to know that I'm not the only one rooting for her."

Emma chuckles. "I think she knows that, but it's just a little difficult for her to see right now."

"Can I go see her tomorrow?" he asks with a hopeful look. Emma wonders how to let him down easily.

"While you might be the only person able to see her, you should wait a day or two. She needs to be alone with her thoughts for a while." She hates the idea of keeping the two separate, especially since Henry tends be Regina's grounding. But she knows that if it was her, she wouldn't want Henry to see her in such a fragile state.

"A week at the most," she adds. "If you hear nothing from her, then go to her. But let her have the time she needs to grieve. She's lost a lot in her lifetime, and she feels like her happy end is disappearing."

"Okay, Ma. I'll stay away until she calls for me," Henry agrees, but Emma can feel her lie-detector tingling.

She chooses to ignore it and pulls him closer. "I love you, kid, and so does your mom. You make us both proud."

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A/N: Be sure to leave feedback!


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